SOARING EAGLE NEWS
NOVEMBER 2022
A Note of Gratitude
During the month of November, many of us are reflecting on what we are grateful for in our lives. We would love to hear from our valued families about what you are grateful for at Cypress Woods Elementary.
We invite you to take a brief moment to express your gratitude to our amazing staff or our school in general by completing the survey link below. Your words of appreciation make a great impact on our culture and climate. Thank you for being such a supportive school community.
We will share all of your responses with the staff on Friday, November 18th before Thanksgiving break.
A link to the form can be found below:
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
When a student is absent from school for any reason, parents are to send in a written note to the teacher explaining the absence or email the school at cypresswoodses.absence@pcsb.org and copy the teacher on the email. Absences will remain unexcused until such documentation is received by the school. Children with poor attendance patterns may be referred to the Pinellas County Truancy Intervention Program. Class work is required to be made up during or after an excused absence. Upon returning to school following an excused absence, a student has as many days to make up the work as days absent. A doctor’s note is required to excuse a student from PE for more than 3 days and documentation is required for absences exceeding 5 days. Below are some helpful hints to help your student maintain healthy attendance habits.
Mark Your Calendars
11/2/22 - SAC Meeting 3:15 PM
11/4/22 - Volunteer Cafe 9:00 AM
11/11/22 - Veterans Assembly 9:00 AM
Community Veterans Concert @ East Lake High School 6:00 PM
11/16/22 - PTA Giving Tree Begins
11/18/22 - PTA Sponsored Walk to School Day
11/21 - 11/25/22 - Thanksgiving Break
11/28/22 - School Resumes
11/28-29 - GP Holiday Shoppe Preview
12/2/22 - GP Holiday Shoppe Family Night 4:30-6:00 PM
12/2/22 - PTA Holiday Movie Night
12/7/22 - Chick-fil-A Spirit Night 5:30-7:30 PM
SEE BELOW ATTACHMENT FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF STUDENT DAYS OFF FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR
NEWS FROM OUR MUSIC TEACHER, MRS. RICHTER
Veterans Assembly
The annual Veterans Assembly will take place on Friday, November 11th on the Cypress Woods Elementary PE courts at 9:00 am. Please plan to have your child wear red, white, and/or blue. The third-grade students will perform a few songs at this assembly. Third grade students should wear shorts or pants with pockets. Parents and Veterans are welcome to attend. If you would like to attend, please plan to check in through the front office at 8:50 am.
Community Veterans Concert
Cypress Woods Elementary’s Soaring Sounds Chorus will perform at a Community Veterans Concert at East Lake High School on Friday, November 11th at 7:00 pm. This concert will include choirs from Carwise Middle School and East Lake High School. There is a $5 suggested donation at the door.
Elizabeth Richter
General Music, Chorus, Orff, and Strings Teacher
Ignite Youth Choir North County Coordinator
Cypress Woods Elementary
4900 Cypress Woods Blvd
Palm Harbor, FL 34685
(727)538-7325
richtere@pcsb.org
NOTES FROM OUR NURSE, JENNIFER REZNICK
“Once a Week-Take a Peek”
That’s right, no one loves elementary schools more than Lice! We’ve already had a few reported cases this year and would appreciate families help preventing the spread of lice by routinely checking your children’s hair. We do not do routine classroom Lice checks due to HIPPA and Parental Rights Laws. Pinellas County Schools currently has a no Nit policy. This means students may not return to class until they are completely nit free.
Anyone can get head lice…mainly through direct head-to-head contact but also from sharing hats, brushes and other personal items. Head lice are a problem in many communities and do not reflect poor hygiene or social status. They do not carry disease. Lice Do Not JUMP OR FLY!
What to look for:
· Excessive scratching of the head, especially at the back of the head just above the neck and/or behind the ears.
· Red bumps on the head or neck and/or sores that develop from scratching.
· Irritability or difficulty sleeping.
· Nits (Lice eggs) in the hair. Nits are usually white in color (although color can vary) and are attached to the hair shaft near the scalp. They differ from dandruff because they stick to the hair shaft and are more difficult to remove.
What to do if you should discover a case of head lice:
· Notify your child’s school, child care center, and parents of your child’s playmates.
· Treat your child and all household members with lice shampoo. Follow all instructions carefully.
· Use a nit comb to remove lice and nits. You may also need to manually pick out the nits using your fingernails after treatment.
· Wash all bed linens and washable clothing in hot water and dry on high heat.
· Place all non-washable items such as stuffed toys in a sealed plastic bag for 2-3 weeks.
· Vacuum furniture, rugs, floors and family vehicle.
Ways to prevent the spread of lice:
· Do not share items like hair brushes, hair accessories, hats, helmets, etc.
· Avoid head to head contact.
· Don’t lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infected person.
If you find lice and/or nits on your child, they are to be kept home until treated and found to be nit free. When the child returns to school after being treated, they will need to be escorted to the office by a parent/guardian to be re-checked by the school staff before returning to the classroom.
Rotary Student of the Month
SAFETY PATROL OF THE MONTH
Makenzie is in charge of the computer lab by my office- always polite and respectful! She comes to my office to ask for the room to be unlocked and is always on time and happy to do her job. Makenzie is amazing!!!! She always asks how my day was- it is so sweet!!!
We would love to nominate our Mackenzie 😊 She walks in every morning with a beautiful smile on her face and such a happy attitude. She helps Mrs. Melora and I with so many Pre-K crafts. She also is so helpful in the morning with our little pre-k babes and they all love her! We love her too 😊
Notes From Kim Shipley, Family & Community Liaison
Happy Fall Volunteers!
Our busy fall season offers many opportunities for our volunteers to get involved! Things like our Book Fair, Veteran’s Day Celebration and The Great American Teach In, just to name a few. Please look over all the opportunities below and let me know if you are available to help! As always, please remember to log your volunteer hours in the volunteer system.
If you are participating in the Great American Teach In, I have started emailing confirmed schedules. If you haven’t received an email from me yet, you should expect one sometime soon Please see below for volunteer needs during this event and more!
Important Dates and Opportunities:
Wednesday, November 16th - This is a special day for you to spend with us whether you have 30 minutes or the whole day to share things such as careers, hobbies, sports, crafts, telling a story about an exciting trip or even reading an interesting book with our students. This year, in addition to face-to-face, we will be offering Zoom for live presentations or virtual field trips as well as any prerecorded presentations you’d like to share. If you or someone you know would like to be a presenter, please have them follow the link below to sign up (participants do not need to be a registered volunteer for this one day event).
- Friday, November 4th (9:00 – 11:30 AM) – Volunteer Café – Join us and help complete various projects for our teachers and staff. Coffee and refreshments will be provided
- Friday, November 11th 9:00 AM – Veteran’s Day Celebration – From 8:30 – 10ish. We will need about 7-8 volunteers to sign in our visitors and direct traffic back to the ceremony on the PE Court.
- Wednesday, November 16th – The Great American Teach In – Volunteer Needed - We are looking for some Level 2 volunteers to help supervise our guests as they travel around the campus for various presentations on the big day. If you are signed up to present and a Level 2, perhaps you’d be willing to stay a little extra time to help out with other visitors. We will also need volunteers to assist with keeping our refreshments updated and welcoming our visitors/signing them in, etc. If you are up for any of these tasks, please email me your availability as soon as possible. Thanks!
- Ongoing – Assist our Media Specialist in the Library with shelving books and more! Anyone interested in volunteering in the Media Center/Library, feel free to email Ms. Reyes directly at reyesja@pcsb.org
- November 21 -25 – Thanksgiving Break – No School
Thank you in advance for all your support!
Kim Shipley
Family & Community Liaison
Cypress Woods Elementary
4900 Cypress Woods Blvd
Palm Harbor, FL 34685
727-538-7325 ext. 2045
New Volunteers register online now at: www.pcsb.org/volunteerregistration
Lunch Pal Mentors needed, sign up at: www.pcsb.org/mentor
Updates From Our PTA
Please mark your calendars for the upcoming PTA events!
Giving Tree - Ornaments will be ready to pick by November 17 and will be up until the last one is gone. All gifts are due by Dec 14, 2022.
Holiday Movie Night- December 2nd: The movie is free and there will be food and drink for purchase. Our Holiday Shoppe will also be open that evening. Watch for the flyer to come home and be sure to RSVP.
Food Collection - We will collect food for Holiday Meal bags at Movie night. Please watch our website and social media for specific items needed.
Sign Up For Bus Updates!
Opt in For CWE Text Alerts
Using the list below, sign up under the grade of your youngest student in order to receive text alerts about school events, PTA and volunteering. (The information will be the SAME on all accounts, so you should only sign up under one class…)
To 81010, please text the following:
- PRE K @b49fk3
- KINDERGARTEN @24b47f
- 1ST GRADE @cf6c38
- 2ND GRADE @9f7edc
- 3RD GRADE @cwethi
- 4TH GRADE @2ce39k7
- 5TH GRADE @e26kb9
Cypress Woods Elementary
Email: cypresswoodses.absence@pcsb.org
Website: pcsb.org/cypress-es
Location: 4900 Cypress Woods Boulevard, Palm Harbor, FL, USA
Phone: 727-538-7325
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cypresswoodses/
Twitter: @cypresswoodses